1948-1955 Bedwood Install - Going To Bed

There is something to say about the ability to adapt given any situation or shortcoming. Lets face it, not every part that you find or purchase is going to fit your truck perfectly to the style that you’re building. Case in point, what if you want to put on steel wheels that are much wider than what come stock? That will help gain rear end traction and better looks, right? Or, maybe you want to go with a much larger, modern, aluminum wheel but it requires some sort of rear bed or inner fender modification.

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I sat down with Dean Lenarth and Erin Fitzgerald from Explicit Craftworks in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where we brainstormed on how to solve the clearance issues for larger, wider wheels. The main objective for the truck’s owner Mike Fraker, was to fit the wheels he had already purchased (20x9) and also to make the ’53 Chevy’s Stepside bed look as clean as possible. We started by getting a new deluxe bed wood kit from Brothers Trucks in Corona, California. The kit included new, oak bed wood strips, stainless steel strips and all the necessary hardware to bolt it in. Then we called Art Morrison for the inner fender panels that are shipped flat with special channel ends that connect the sheetmetal together. With this style of inner fender Dean and Erin could manipulate the amount of fender by cutting it smaller before assembling. With a little work to the bed, bed wood, and making new inner fenders, I think Explicit figured it out. CT